Vektor "Transmissions Of Chaos" (2021)

 

It's been some time since I last heard anything from American thrashers Vektor. Their previous effort Terminal Redux was quite the charmer given its dense and technical take on Thrash Metal, a great work of vision and execution. It was also the bands last, I was unaware they had disbanded and this two track warm up is a result of their recent reunion. Sadly though the two tracks didn't carry the sparkle I heard before.

Activate is a fast ripping thrasher of choppy techniques and dizzying melodic entanglement, charging head first into the wall! Its tone and jittery energy is unrelenting, not offering much in the way of a hook or catch. Its pause for an acoustic respite after blazing solos is an interesting moment but the track tends to contain itself as a short, simple drive of aggression, not looking to get expansive as they once did.

Dead By Dawn initially sounds like a cover with its clean vocals springing a different mood forth. Its a progressive path forward, opening up at the three minute mark into beefy lunges of melodic gleam and meaty distortion fretwork. Its sudden pivot to rapid power chord shredding dispels the excitement. It reuses the lunging moment to see the song out and ultimately ends up feeling a bit directionless.

For a band reuniting, this may just be an exercise in getting back into the process. These two numbers show both craft and execution, bringing back their very "plastic" and particular tone with a competent production but disappoint with a lack of dazzle or remark within the routine of galloping Thrash Metal running the routines of its techniques. The second track had the ambition with a bold move vocally but its conclusion was to fall back into the arms of comfort. Transmissions Of Chaos is worth a listen but hopefully they will bring bigger ideas to any full release in the future.

Rating: 2/10

Vektor "Outer Isolation" (2011)

American celestial thrashers Vektor really impressed me with their third full length "Terminal Redux" last year. Dense, tight, technical Thrash Metal with a fulfilling sense theme left a lasting impression. Turning the clocks back five years to their sophomore release its as if a day never passed between the two. "Outer Isolation" is another hair bending feet of intricate guitar thrashing glossed in its tonal aesthetic and dazzled with the emergence of timely melodies in between the rhythm guitar onslaught.

The band members are clearly exceptionally talented. Flashy guitar solos loaded with sweep picking, tapping and hammering are an obvious display but even the rhythm guitar makes its mark with lightning paced riffs, blistering tremolo picking and plenty of finger tangling shifts and shuffles turning straightforward sections into a constant delight of perplexity. For all its intense dexterity they make every riff count, not a dull moment or over extended idea here, they write fantastic music.

Behind the roaring guitars the drummer holds down a tight tempo, unfortunately a lot of his creativity is out shun by the dizzying guitars. The same could be said of the bass guitar which has a few moments to peak its head out from beneath, its quite audible with a bright tone but generally does a lot of mirroring. The vocals here are far more tolerable, probably because I am now accustom to them. David DiSanto has a shrill, high pitched scream with a texture I'm not to fond of. I would prefer a different voice but one can still appreciate what he bring to their sound.

The song structure and progression here is as impressive as the whirling array of notes flying your way. Every track unfolds with a continual sense of direction and adventure, they could go anywhere and as you get to know the songs all the pieces fall into place. "Outer Isolation" is a shade better than its successor with impressive melodic sections, a wild ride of ever shifting metallic onslaught and mesmerizing guitar work. Its not quite my cup of tea though, the vocals and tonal aesthetic not quite to my taste but I can certainly appreciate how someone might see this record as a Thrash masterpiece.

Rating: 8/10

Vektor "Terminal Redux" (2016)

With an epic, intergalactic cover art of lush alien planets and mysterious alien spacecraft deep in the cosmos our tongues are wet in anticipation of an ambitious piece of music set to rival the imaginations the cover inspires alone. Unfortunately the guitar tone and narrow, raspy, grisly vocals took the edge of what is truly a record to remember, a space opera of metallic magnitude. Vektor are an American Thrash Metal band with Progressive elements from Arizona and given there young age could be considered part of the Thrash revival seen in recent years. "Terminal Redux" is their third full length, weighing in at seventy three minutes it is quite a lot to chew and an ambitious piece of art.

Vektor sound like they could of come straight out of the 80s. A true sense of the Thrash spirit exudes from these songs however with twenty years of maturity they take the traits of Thrash guitar work and execute them with an intensity and blinding precious that will have all sorts of rampant shredding taken to new speeds and technicalities, the fast fretwork interwoven with frenetic drumming that takes no moment for granted. These songs move in a constant sense of progression with dense arrangements shuffling in all sorts of directions and occasional turning back on themselves to repeat a theme. Nothing feels out of the ordinary but its execution is remarkable and many riffs push the boundaries with lightning speed and creative use of old techniques. Its quite the drool in awe fest if your a fan of the classic thrash sound.

The album plays to a bigger concept and all the songs tie together. That much is apparent but within the last three or so tracks it really comes together as the record reaches its climax and the music pushes even harder at those boundaries. In these moments the Thrash sound is transcended in spirit as the songs become bigger than themselves. For all that's fantastic I have my gripe with the vocal and guitar tones. Firstly DiSanto's narrow, raspy shouts are a constant turn off that I failed to warm up to. The guitars do admittedly sound fantastic as could be said for the entire production of the record with a near perfect drum sound and tight baseline but I found the tone slightly plastic and flat in the higher ranges. Its actually what gives the guitar tone its charm and there is where I find an understanding of whats not working. There's little emotional connection here, its a finely tuned metal machine pumping out blinding songs but it ends at entertainment. "Terminal Redux" Is a remarkable record on one level but there are only a few moments where I feel any form of deeper connection. Music doesn't always have to hit you on that level to appreciate it.

Favorite Tracks: Charging The Void, LCD, Recharging The Void

Rating: 8/10